Lorry drivers face £2,000 stowaway fines

LORRY drivers face fines of £2,000 for every illegal migrant found on their vehicles even if they have done full security checks.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is expected to introduce changes today that give Border Force officers greater powers to prosecute drivers who allow in illegal migrants.

The rules are aimed at preventing a repeat of the Essex tragedy in which 39 Vietnamese died in the trailer of a refrigerator lorry in 2019.

At present, drivers can be fined £2,000 for every stowaway found if they did not secure their vehicles. Officials said that was failing as a deterrent, with 1,869 cases last year of migrants being found in vehicles with inadequate security.

Tom Pursglove, the immigration minister, said: “Poorly secured lorries are an invitation to those seeking to break into the UK. That’s why we’re toughening the rules.”